Jake Arrieta of the Chicago Cubs pitched a no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 30, 2015 on his way to winning the 2015 Cy Young Award. He threw another one tonight in Cincinnati in a 16-0 win over the Reds. He has thrown the 14th and 15th no-hitters in Cubs’ history.
Arrieta got through the game with relatively few close calls. He did walk four batters, but he only faced 29 hitters. One of his walks was picked off and another was erased on a double play.
Arrieta’s no-hitter was the first in the Major Leagues in 2016. This was the second no-hitter at Great America Ballpark and the 12th against the Reds. The first no-hitter at Great America Ballpark was thrown by Arrieta’s offseason workout partner Homer Bailey on July 3, 2013 against the San Francisco Giants. Arrieta became the first Cubs pitcher to throw multiple no-hitters since Ken Holtzman no-hit the Atlanta Braves on August 19, 1969 and the Cincinnati Reds on June 3, 1971.
Twenty days after Holtzman no-hit the Reds, Rick Wise of the Phillies threw a no-hitter against the Reds. That was the last time the Reds were no-hit in the regular season until now, a span that stretched 7,109 regular season games. Roy Halladay of the Phillies no-hit the Reds in the 2010 NLDS.
The 16-0 win was the most lopsided no-hitter since Pud Galvin and the Buffalo Bisons beat the Detroit Wolverines 18-0 on August 4, 1884. The Cubs put the game away early, scoring a pair of runs in each of the first two innings, which would be plenty for Arrieta. So far this season, Arrieta has only given up a run in one of his four starts. He has gone at least seven innings in each of his starts and has only given up 15 hits.
The Cubs, meanwhile, pounded out 18 hits on the day, three more than Arrieta has given up all year. They hit five home runs, including a grand slam and a two-run shot by Kris Bryant, his fourth career two-homer game. Arrieta got in on the offensive action, getting two hits and a walk in five plate appearances and scoring a run.
Arrieta is a key figure in the Cubs’ playoff chances in a season that they are widely considered the favorites to win the National League pennant. He is as good as advertised, with a 4-0 record and a 0.87 ERA. He now has two no-hitters in his last 11 starts. Arrieta is making an early case for a second consecutive Cy Young Award.
The first place Cubs are the first team to 12 wins and have opened up a 3.5 game lead in the NL Central. With Arrieta at the top of their rotation, the Cubs are in the driver’s seat. It is still early, but the Cubs do seem to be worthy of being called the World Series favorite.